Maryland 2022 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB455 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDE D TO EXISTING LAW .
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb0455
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 455
8	8	P4, P1 2lr2325
9	9
10	10	By: Delegate Wells
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 20, 2022
12	12	Assigned to: Appropriations
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	State Personnel – Implicit Bias Awareness Training – Required 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of requiring each State employee to complete a certain amount of implicit 3
21	21	bias awareness training at certain times; requiring that the training include certain 4
22	22	information; requiring each unit to designate a representative to coordinate with the 5
23	23	Maryland Commission on Civil Rights to implement the training; authorizing a unit 6
24	24	to incorporate the training into existing employment training; requiring the 7
25	25	Commission to train certain representatives in the prevention of implicit bias; 8
26	26	providing that certain representatives are encouraged to use certain materials to 9
27	27	prevent implicit bias in the workplace; authorizing a unit to require an employee to 10
28	28	retake any part or all of the training or to participate in certain additional training 11
29	29	or classes; requiring the Equal Employment Opportunity Coordinator to enforce 12
30	30	certain requirements for certain units in the Executive Branch of State government; 13
31	31	authorizing the Equal Employment Opportunity Coordinator to recommend that a 14
32	32	certain performance audit or review be conducted under certain circumstances; 15
33	33	prohibiting a person from bringing a certain action against the State except under 16
34	34	certain circumstances; providing that certain training is a minimum requirement; 17
35	35	requiring certain Equal Employment Opportunity Program reports to include 18
36	36	certain information about implicit bias awareness training; and generally relating to 19
37	37	implicit bias awareness training. 20
38	38
39	39	BY adding to 21
40	40	Article – State Personnel and Pensions 22
41	41	Section 2–203.2 23
42	42	Annotated Code of Maryland 24
43	43	(2015 Replacement Volume and 2021 Supplement) 25
44	44
45	45	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 26
46	46	Article – State Personnel and Pensions 27
47	47	Section 5–205(a)(4) 28
48	48	Annotated Code of Maryland 29 2 HOUSE BILL 455
49	49
50	50
51	51	(2015 Replacement Volume and 2021 Supplement) 1
52	52
53	53	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 2
54	54	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 3
55	55
56	56	Article – State Personnel and Pensions 4
57	57
58	58	2–203.2. 5
59	59
60	60	(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WOR DS HAVE THE MEANINGS 6
61	61	INDICATED. 7
62	62
63	63	(2) “COMMISSION” MEANS THE COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS. 8
64	64
65	65	(3) “CULTURAL COMPETENCY ” MEANS A SET OF INTEG RATED 9
66	66	ATTITUDES, KNOWLEDGE , AND SKILLS THAT ENAB LE A STATE EMPLOYEE TO 10
67	67	EFFECTIVELY PERFORM THE EMPLOYE E’S JOB WITH, AND ON BEHALF OF , PERSONS 11
68	68	FROM DIVERSE CULTURE S, GROUPS, AND COMMUNITIES . 12
69	69
70	70	(4) “IMPLICIT BIAS” MEANS THE ATTITUDES OR INTERNALIZED 13
71	71	STEREOTYPES THAT AFF ECT PERCEPTIONS , ACTIONS, AND DECISIONS IN AN 14
72	72	UNCONSCIOUS MANNER . 15
73	73
74	74	(B) THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY FINDS THAT I MPLICIT BIAS EXISTS AND 16
75	75	OFTEN CONTRIBUTES TO UNEQUAL TREATMENT OF PEOPLE BASED ON RACE , 17
76	76	ETHNICITY, GENDER IDENTITY , SEXUAL ORIENTATION , AGE, DISABILITY, AND 18
77	77	OTHER CHARACTERISTIC S. 19
78	78
79	79	(C) (1) THIS SECTION APPLIES TO ALL UNIT S IN THE EXECUTIVE, 20
80	80	JUDICIAL, AND LEGISLATIVE BRANCHES OF STATE GOVERNMENT , INCLUDING ALL 21
81	81	UNITS WITH INDEPENDE NT PERSONNEL SYSTEMS . 22
82	82
83	83	(2) FOR THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF MARYLAND, THIS SECTION 23
84	84	APPLIES TO EACH CONS TITUENT INSTITUTION . 24
85	85
86	86	(D) (1) EACH STATE EMP LOYEE SHALL COMPLETE AT LEAST A 25
87	87	CUMULATIVE 2 HOURS OF IN–PERSON OR VIRTUAL , INTERACTIVE TRAINING ON 26
88	88	IMPLICIT BIAS AWARENESS : 27
89	89
90	90	(I) WITHIN 6 MONTHS AFTER THE EMP LOYEE’S INITIAL 28
91	91	APPOINTMENT ; AND 29
92	92
93	93	(II) ANNUALLY THEREAFTER . 30
94	94	HOUSE BILL 455 3
95	95
96	96
97	97	(2) THE TRAINING REQUIRED UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS 1
98	98	SUBSECTION SHALL INC LUDE: 2
99	99
100	100	(I) UNDERSTANDING THE DE FINITION OF IMPLICIT BIAS; 3
101	101
102	102	(II) A REQUIREMENT THAT E ACH EMPLOYEE TAKE A 4
103	103	SELF–EVALUATION THAT MEAS URES THE EMPLOYEE ’S POSITIVE OR NEGATI VE 5
104	104	ATTITUDE TOWARDS A P ARTICULAR CONCEPT OR SOCIAL GROUP ; 6
105	105
106	106	(III) INFORMATION ON THE IMPACT OF IMP LICIT BIAS ON 7
107	107	INTERPERSONAL RELATI ONSHIPS AND ENCOUNTE RS IN THE WORKPLACE ; 8
108	108
109	109	(IV) INFORMATION ON STRATEGIES TO ADDRES S THE NEGATIVE 9
110	110	EFFECTS OF IMPLICIT BIAS IN THE WORKPLAC E AND THE PERFORMANC E OF THE 10
111	111	EMPLOYEE’S JOB; AND 11
112	112
113	113	(V) ENCOURAG ING CULTURAL COMPETENCY IN THE 12
114	114	WORKPLACE . 13
115	115
116	116	(3) THE SELF–EVALUATION REQUIRED UNDER PARAGRAPH (2)(II) OF 14
117	117	THIS SUBSECTION: 15
118	118
119	119	(I) SHALL BE A BEHAVIORA L MEASUREMENT TOOL ; 16
120	120
121	121	(II) MAY BE MODELED AFTER THE HARVARD IMPLICIT 17
122	122	ASSOCIATION TEST; AND 18
123	123
124	124	(III) SHALL REQUIRE THE EM PLOYEE TO DESCRIBE T HEIR OWN 19
125	125	SELF–UNDERSTANDING OF ANY UNCONSCIOUS ATTITUDE S, IMPLICIT BIASES, OR 20
126	126	STEREOTYPES FOLLOWIN G THE EVALUATION . 21
127	127
128	128	(E) (1) (I) EACH UNIT SHALL DESIG NATE A REPRESENTATIV E TO 22
129	129	COORDINATE WITH THE COMMISSION TO IMPLEME NT THE TRAINING THAT STATE 23
130	130	EMPLOYEES ARE REQUIR ED TO COMPLETE UNDER SUBSE CTION (D) OF THIS 24
131	131	SECTION. 25
132	132
133	133	(II) A UNIT MAY INCORPORATE THE TRAINING INTO EX ISTING 26
134	134	EMPLOYMENT TRAINING FOR NEW EMPLOYEES AN D SUPERVISORS . 27
135	135
136	136	(2) THE COMMISSION SHALL TRAI N EACH REPRESENTATIV E 28
137	137	DESIGNATED UNDER PAR AGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION IN THE PREVENTION OF 29
138	138	IMPLICIT BIAS. 30
139	139	4 HOUSE BILL 455
140	140
141	141
142	142	(3) THE REPRESENTATIVES D ESIGNATED UNDER PARA GRAPH (1) OF 1
143	143	THIS SUBSECTION ARE ENCOURAGED TO USE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY 2
144	144	COMMISSION MATERIALS TO PREVENT IMPLICIT BIAS IN THE WORKPLACE . 3
145	145
146	146	(F) IF IT IS DETERMINED TO BE NECESS ARY BY THE APPOINTIN G 4
147	147	AUTHORITY, A UNIT MAY REQUIRE A N EMPLOYEE TO RETAKE ANY PART OR ALL OF 5
148	148	THE TRAINING OR TO P ARTICIPATE IN ADDITI ONAL CLASSES OR TRAI NING. 6
149	149
150	150	(G) FOR A UNIT IN THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH OF STATE GOVERNMENT , THE 7
151	151	EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COORDINATOR ESTABLISH ED UNDER § 5–206 8
152	152	OF THIS ARTICLE: 9
153	153
154	154	(1) SHALL ENFORCE THE RE QUIREMENTS OF THIS S ECTION; AND 10
155	155
156	156	(2) MAY RECOMMEND TO THE LEGISLATIVE AUDITOR, THE JOINT 11
157	157	AUDIT AND EVALUATION COMMITTEE, OR THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE 12
158	158	DEPARTMENT OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES THAT THE OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE 13
159	159	AUDITS CONDUCT A PERF ORMANCE AUDIT OR REV IEW OF A UNIT IF THE EQUAL 14
160	160	EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COORDINATOR DETERMINE S THAT THE UNIT HAS NOT 15
161	161	COMPLIED WITH THIS S ECTION. 16
162	162
163	163	(H) UNLESS THE ACTS OR O MISSIONS OF AN EMPLO YEE WHO COMPLETED 17
164	164	THE TRAINING REQUIRE D UNDER SUBSECTION (D) OF THIS SECTION ARE WILLFUL, 18
165	165	WANTON, OR GROSSLY NEGLIGENT , A PERSON MAY NOT BRI NG AN ACTION AGAINST 19
166	166	THE STATE FOR ANY ACT OR OMISSION RESULTING F ROM: 20
167	167
168	168	(1) ANY TRAINING OR LA CK OF TRAINING OF A STATE EMPLOYEE ; OR 21
169	169
170	170	(2) THE IMPLEMENTATION O F THE TRAINING REQUI RED UNDER 22
171	171	SUBSECTION (D) OF THIS SECTION. 23
172	172
173	173	(I) THE TRAINING REQUIRED IN THIS SECTION IS A MINIMUM 24
174	174	REQUIREMENT AND MAY NOT BE CONSTRUED TO DISCOURAGE OR RELIEV E ANY 25
175	175	UNIT FROM PROVIDING A LONGER, MORE FREQUENT , OR MORE INFORMATIVE 26
176	176	TRAINING ON WORKPLAC E IMPLICIT BIAS. 27
177	177
178	178	(J) THE COMMISSION SHALL ADOP T REGULATIONS TO IMPLEMENT THIS 28
179	179	SECTION. 29
180	180
181	181	5–205. 30
182	182
183	183	(a) In accordance with the provisions and intent of the Maryland Constitution 31
184	184	and other laws of the State, each unit shall: 32
185	185	HOUSE BILL 455 5
186	186
187	187
188	188	(4) for each fiscal year, submit to the Coordinator by the following October 1
189	189	15 an annual report about the activities that the unit undertook in that fiscal year to 2
190	190	implement the Program, including: 3
191	191
192	192	(i) information about personnel practices within the unit; 4
193	193
194	194	(ii) a summary of complaints filed, investigated, resolved, and 5
195	195	pending; 6
196	196
197	197	(iii) information about relations with other units of State 7
198	198	government; 8
199	199
200	200	(IV) INFORMATION ABOUT IM PLICIT BIAS AWARENESS 9
201	201	TRAINING; 10
202	202
203	203	[(iv)] (V) information about sexual harassment policies and 11
204	204	prevention training; and 12
205	205
206	206	[(v)] (VI) a summary of sexual harassment complaints filed, 13
207	207	investigated, resolved, and pending; and 14
208	208
209	209	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 15
210	210	October 1, 2022. 16